Extraordinary Products for 'Beautiful' Towers

The name “Mirabel” stems from the Latin word mirabilis, meaning “wondrous” or “of wondrous beauty.” When developer Marcon Construction in 2017 chose that name for its twin-tower condominium project that is located within the West End section of Vancouver, the bar was set high.

The corner of Vancouver’s Davie and Broughton streets had been the site of two aging apartment buildings. By 2021, the site’s transformation into a complex with two neighboring 18- and 19-story buildings – comprising 153 luxury units and 68 social-housing units – was complete.

Dave Randall, MAPEI Business Development Manager for Western Canada, and his colleague, MAPEI sales representative Anthony Petrunia, served as MAPEI coordinators on the project, which entailed the use of products within an area covering 89,000 square feet (8 268 m²) altogether.

“Many different MAPEI products were used on this project,” Randall said. “This twin-tower design is very modern and is in a beautiful area of Vancouver. It greatly improved the neighborhood.”

MAPEI on the job

Once the main structure was erected, Marcon’s crews used products from the Concrete Restoration Systems line to prepare concrete slabs and help form exterior balconies. These products included Topcem Premix screed mortar, Mapecem Quickpatch concrete patch for filling larger voids and Planitop X repair mortar for vertical surfaces. Planigrout 755 construction grout also was used where needed.

Installers from Robertson Floors Ltd. took over at that point. The concrete slabs were verified to an International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) concrete surface profile (CSP) of #2. Areas needing leveling were then coated with Primer L advanced-technology, acrylic latex primer to enhance the adhesion of Novoplan 2 Plus high-strength, cement-based self-leveling underlayment.

No modern residential high-rise is complete without adequate sound reduction to maintain a peaceful living environment, and the luxury residences of the Mirabel are no exception. So the next step was to install MAPEI’s “3-in-1” answer for crack isolation, waterproofing and sound reduction: Mapeguard 2.

Mapeguard 2 not only helps to prevent existing or future in-plane floor cracks, but also reduces the transmission of impact sound (footsteps, dropped objects, etc.) and airborne sound (voice, TV, etc.) through floors when installed under ceramic tile, stone or wood floor coverings. To keep the installation on schedule, the team from Robertson Floors was able to make quick work of this stage, by reaching for the versatile and fast-drying MAPEI SM Primer to bond the Mapeguard 2 membranes onto the leveled substrates.

Wet areas

Quick-drying, premium Mapelastic AquaDefense advanced, liquid-rubber waterproofing membrane was applied over bathroom walls before they were tiled to provide a thin, continuous barrier to protect adjacent rooms and floors below from water damage. Interior designer Alda Pereira specified natural marble for wall and floor tiles in the condominium units; they were set using Keraflex SG polymer-modified mortar, which is formulated to be nonsag for walls and nonslump for floors. Additionally, its smooth consistency due to MAPEI’s Easy Glide Technology helped make application quick and easy.

Interior-lobby floor tile

The main lobby floors were tiled using Ultraflex RS premium, rapid-setting thin-set mortar, which has a high content of unique dry polymer that results in excellent adhesion to the substrate and tile. Ultraflex RS is formulated with MAPEI’s proprietary High-Hydrated Cement Technology (HCT), which offers superior drying-out characteristics for quick curing and does not contribute to efflorescence.

All tile grouting was completed using polymer-modified Ultracolor Plus FA grout, which is formulated with DropEffect technology to reduce surface absorption and help repel water, dirt and grime from penetrating grout joints. This grout also maintains color consistency and inhibits efflorescence for easy maintenance. Finally, Mapesil T 100%-silicone sealant was used for expansion/movement joints.

As an added benefit, all products used in this project were third-party tested and third-party certified for low VOC content and low VOC emissions. As a result, the products achieved Indoor Advantage Gold certification from SCS Global Services to meet California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method v1.2-2017. The testing of these products is the most stringent type of testing that is available in North America.

Novoplan 2 Plus is also Red List Free, having been verified per the most current Red List on the Website for the Living Building Challenge (LBC).

With final touches such as imported Italian cabinetry and built-in wall safes in the luxury units, the new towers are truly an upgrade over the nondescript, low-rise apartments that they replaced. With the use of so many FastTrack Ready and high-end MAPEI products, the Mirabel towers were completed in 2021. Their “wondrous beauty” is a sight to behold – almost as much as the striking views of the Rocky Mountains that they provide to their new residents.